Michigan Central says that more than 100,000 visitors have walked through the doors of Detroit’s rehabbed train station since Ford Motor Co. opened them to the public in June.
Due to the popular demand, Michigan Central is now extending its “Summer at The Station” tours through Labor Day weekend — so if you haven’t visited yet, you have a few more weeks to do so.
“This outpouring of support has truly been inspiring,” said Joshua Sirefman, CEO of Michigan Central. “The Station is more than just a building; it’s a symbol of the city’s strength and a catalyst for innovation, and we’re proud to welcome the community back to this iconic Detroit landmark.”
Michigan Central says Summer at The Station has surpassed expectations, drawing an average of 3,000 visitors on Friday evenings and 5,000 visitors on Saturdays.
Guests can sign up for tours to learn about the history of the former train station, which opened in 1913 and closed in 1988, as well as about Ford’s six-year, nearly billion-dollar transformation of the building.
No tickets or registration is required, though Michigan Central plans to launch ticketed and guided tours in the fall. More information is available at michigancentral.com/visit.
The rehabbed building’s 100,000th visitor was Pastor Robert D Lodge, of the People’s Missionary Baptist Church on Detroit’s east side.
“Being the 100,000th person to enter into this epic building has made me recognize the future is bright and Detroit has been given a fresh start,” said Pastor Lodge. “We wanted to come and relive the nostalgia of the train station and see the enhancements and how Detroit has been revitalized and that this will be an epic reminder that Detroit is back.”
The building is expected to hold offices for Ford and other tenants, as well as retail and restaurants.
Abandoned for nearly 40 years, Detroit’s former Michigan Central Station will soon reopen its doors following an extensive renovation by Ford Motor Co. — and its grand opening celebration is set to include a free concert by local artists.
While organizers are being coy regarding the lineup, they promise that the June 6 event “Live from Detroit: The Concert” will feature “some of Detroit’s biggest stars.”
We’re told full details will be announced soon, but the general public can register for tickets to the concert starting at noon on Tuesday, May 21 at michigancentral.com. The tickets are free, but registration is required.
The 90-minute outdoor event is also set to include appearances by local leaders and short films. Gates open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 8:30 p.m.
The concert will be followed by a 10-day open house for the public to see the first floor of the building. Guests can also reserve tours starting at noon on Tuesday.
“There’s no place like Detroit, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase the city through its own incredible artists,” said Jesse Collins, founder and CEO Jesse Collins Entertainment, which is producing the event. “We’re going to create an unforgettable welcome party for Michigan Central with this new chapter in Detroit history that celebrates the visions of these unique performers who are bound together by a shared love of their city.”
“We can’t wait to bring the city of Detroit, and its legendary performers, together at Michigan Central to show the nation how incredibly powerful [the] Motor City is,” Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jeannae Rouzan-Clay added. “The city’s rich history will shine throughout the production and we promise a memorable evening full of vibrant performances and entertaining surprises.”
Food, drinks, and commemorative souvenirs will also be available for purchase.
Beyond Ford Motor Co., other tenants are set to include restaurant, retail, and other organizations.
“After a six-year restoration by Ford and so many others, Michigan Central Station will re-open, reimagined as a place of innovation and culture open to all,” Mary Culler, chair of Michigan Central, said in a statement. “This is a historic moment not just for Michigan Central but for those near and far who love Detroit, and that’s why we’re creating an opening worthy of this achievement that invites everyone to join us for the station’s next chapter, no matter where they are located in the world.”
First opened in 1913, the last train departed the towering train station in 1988. It then became a symbol of Detroit’s ruin, so it’s certainly good to see new life breathed into the beautiful building.
The Brooklyn waterfront is the setting for the adaptive reuse project Refinery at Domino, in which a … [+] one-time sugar refinery has been converted into a 460,000, Class A, all-electric office building.
Max Touhey | www.metouhey.com
All over the U.S., developers, architects, environmentalists, history buffs, employers, renters, homeowners and countless others are coming to one realization. Adaptive reuse holds the power to transform urban environs like few other projects.
The benefits of converting age-old structures to new and different uses are compelling. Adaptive reuse represents a more sustainable means of creating new developments. It is also a method saving developers the cost of razing old buildings. It puts back into productive use older structures that may have stood empty for years or decades. Because structures built before 1950 were built for a much less automobile-dependent society, adaptive reuse projects tend to restore density and encourage walking within the districts where they’re located.
Adaptive reuse also allows urban areas to retain historic character and a sense of place. And for an office tenant or a home buyer, work or home life in a converted building confers a whole different and authentic kind of ambience.
Sweet project
For these reasons and still others, many eyes have been focused on Brooklyn’s Williamsburg waterfront, where a one-time Domino sugar factory has been transformed through adaptive reuse into a new property called The Refinery at Domino. The new, 460,000-square-foot all-electric Class A office building opens today, Sept. 27.
The Refinery at Domino blends the historical charm of the landmarked building with upsides of a new-construction development. Partnering with Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU), Brooklyn-based Two Trees Management produced a glass building within the building’s historic brick façade. Within the building, a large-scale living landscape seamlessly links to the surrounding natural elements and greenery.
“Converting the old factory into an all-electric office building is a key part of Two Trees’ plan for Domino’s mixed-use community,” says Dave Lombino, Two Trees’ managing director, external affairs. “Our careful revitalization of the former Domino Sugar Factory into a Class A office space enabled us to create a sustainable workplace of the future, while paying homage to New York City’s rich history.”
Other examples
The Refinery at Domino takes its place alongside some of the nation’s highest-profile adaptive reuse projects. In Detroit, the old Michigan Central Station is primed to reopen its doors in 2024 for the first time in more than three decades.
The 30-acre site will offer stores, cultural programming and a public space where locals and international visitors can congregate for special events. Already reopened on the campus is a 1936 Albert Kahn-designed Art Deco landmark that served in different eras as a post office and later a book depository, and now has been repurposed as a 270,000-square-foot workspace and innovation center.
In Los Angeles, a revitalization of the 60-year-old California Mart — once the center for the city’s fashion business – has yielded California Market Center (CMC). Spanning a full city block in L.A.’s fashion district, the 1.8 million-square-foot CMC is a new kind of office center, designed to be a place where the city’s emerging technology, media, entertainment and fashion industries intersect.
Iconic landmark
The Refinery’s transition was built upon a trio of design thrusts, Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder and creative director for PAU, says.
The first was inserting a contemporary building in the sleeve of the historic structure. The second involved creating a glass barrel vault form paying homage to the American Round Arch style of the original. A third required opening the ground floor to the park and the surrounding neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
“This approach has created an iconic landmark for the 21st Century, offering users natural light, luscious greenery, waterfront views and a contemporary dialogue with history that most new commercial projects lack,” he says. “Although conceived before the pandemic, the Refinery represents a future of work that offers a unique rootedness in place, and community that is invaluable going forward.”
